


When the World Seems to End

by godseph



Series: 12 Days of Final Fantasy [11]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Cheating Sephiroth, Christmas Angst, Established Relationship, Falling Out of Love, Loveless Marriage, M/M, Slight Emotional Manipulation, l-bombing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:15:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godseph/pseuds/godseph
Summary: Sephiroth and Cloud have a rough Christmas.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife, Sephiroth/Original Male Character(s)
Series: 12 Days of Final Fantasy [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2053293
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	When the World Seems to End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Obelias](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Obelias).



> (lol sorry but i'm in the mood to write angsty shit like this.)  
> I do not own anything or anyone from squaresoft/square enix. this work is nonprofit.

The hallways of Sephiroth’s home were cold, dark, and damp. It felt like a scene from a horror movie; like he was about to die by his elder’s hands. The man himself felt cold, too. Every time he stroked Cloud’s cheek, it felt emotionless. He was ice personified, beautiful, and cold to the touch. It broke his heart bit by bit. Every kiss was void of love, even lust. At night, when Cloud lay painfully alone, he often wondered where he’d gone wrong. What had he done to make Sephiroth pull away from him so quickly? In the beginning, it was full of excitement, love, warmth. He had felt wanted, he had felt safe. No longer did he have the recurring nightmares of sector seven getting crushed before his eyes, or of him not saving Zack. But as they drifted, the nightmares came back to haunt him. He had barely gotten sleep, even when Sephiroth was home. He wasn’t stupid, he had an inkling of what was going on. Hell, it wasn’t like the other had tried to hide it, and if he did, it wasn’t working. Every time Sephiroth came home, he held a different air about him, and the telltale smell of another. Cloud didn’t know what he had normally smelled like, considering he never really smelled himself or cared much about it. But he knew Sephiroth’s cologne when he got a whiff of it, and lately, he’d had the scent of someone else. Someone close, surely. 

When Sephiroth came home that fateful Christmas day, he saw Cloud waiting for him on the couch, flipping through some documents. ‘Unusual,’ he thought, ‘normally he’d be happy to see me. Ah, well, maybe he’s in a mood.’ He shrugged off his long winter coat and set it on the coat hanger aside the door and toed off his shoes, moving to the couch and sitting beside his lover. 

“Evening, darling,” the silver-haired man kissed Cloud’s warm cheek, “how was your day?” 

“Fine.” Cloud’s dull, uninterested response had Sephiroth’s blood run cold. 

“Are you alright? You’re usually much happier to see me.” 

“Yeah, just dandy, really.” The blonde kept his eyes on the paperwork he was reading and scooted further from Sephiroth. “Funny of you to pretend like I wouldn’t notice.” If he hadn’t gotten anxiety from the other’s previous response, now he did. 

“Notice what, love? What is this about?” Sephiroth feigned ignorance, doing what he did back to keep cool. Manipulation was his specialty, after all. 

“Don’t play coy, Sephiroth.” Cloud set his paperwork on the coffee table in front of them to glare at the man beside him. His husband’s name used to taste so sweet but had ended up leaving a bitter aftertaste nowadays. 

“What have I done to displease you, Cloud? Really, I am sorry that I’ve been working lately but the company needs me, what am I supposed to do-” 

“I need you too, Sephiroth. Please, don’t give me excuses, just tell me who they are. I am tired of waiting for you to come home, only for you to be cold towards me. What happened? What did I do? I thought I was being such a good husband, I really did. I know I can be difficult some days, but I hoped we were over that. I’m tired of constantly questioning myself, hoping to god that you’d maybe come back to me instead of running off to whoever has piqued your interest. “ Cloud cut off Sephiroth before he could finish his sentence. He was holding himself, his eyes lowered to his lap. He didn’t dare face his husband, to see the look on his face or whatever emotion lay beneath the surface. It was too much to handle, too much to take in. He had never been one to cry, but damn his tear ducts for betraying him. 

“Cloud, I-” Sephiroth was just about speechless. How did he find out, and why did he even consider it in the first place? Guilt weighed over him like a guillotine’s blade, waiting for the rope to be let go and for the depth of his actions to set in. 

“I love you so much, but why? What can I do to make you love me the way you did before?” The blonde’s voice faltered and tears started to spill down his pale face. He felt nauseated at the thought of his once-loving husband with someone other than him. A hand covered his mouth to muffle any cries that threatened to come out. He felt Sephiroth’s embrace around him and he couldn’t hold back anymore. Sobs wracked his thin frame the way they had long ago, but with heartbreak instead of joy. 

In his mind, he saw the snapping rope, the frayed ends flying away from one another. His throat felt tight, his chest was heavy. The only thing he could do was stay silent, in fear of hurting the man in his arms even more. He did the only thing he knew how to, which was cradle and shush his husband. It worked when he woke from nightmares, on the verge of tears, screaming in pain. It was as though Cloud wouldn’t stop crying, the tears fell endlessly. His sobs grew violent, writhing in Sephiroth’s strong, steady arms. 

When Cloud pulled away to finally look at him, his face was a wreck. His skin was pink, his nose a bright red, and his eyes were bloodshot. The lips he had once loved to kiss were slick with spit. His hair wasn’t spiky like normal, instead, it was down and clipped back. He looked like Sephiroth had just died. In a way, he supposed he had. And so had their marriage. It was clear that Cloud knew what had to be done, that though he loved Sephiroth, there was no way to get over his actions, his betrayal. 

“I’m sorry.” That was all he could say. All he could muster up the courage to say. It hurt to see Cloud like this, and worse that it was his fault. He was stupid to think Cloud wouldn’t notice or to even think to cheat on him. His mouth opened subconsciously and words flew out.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, that sleeping with someone else would change things. That maybe I would feel happier? I’m sorry, I should’ve communicated more that I wanted something different. I just… I need you to forgive me because I love you so dearly. “

“Who? Who were they?” His voice was so sullen and trashed. It hurt to hear him speak.

“Someone I met at a bar- he was just so vastly different from you, I-” 

“What was he like? Was he cute, pretty, what? What was so different from me that made you feel the need to fuck him behind my back?”

“He was shorter than you, with medium-length black hair that stopped at his shoulders. It was fluffy, not unlike yours. I could’ve mistaken him for a woman, had I not been careful. His name was Todd, he told me. I suppose the only real difference was his appearance…” He drifted off, thoughts of the stranger he’d suddenly come to know as a lover leaving a sour taste in his mouth. His eyes were drawn to Cloud fiddling with the wedding band on his finger. 

“Does… Does he know about us?” He asked, climbing out of Sephiroth’s arms and grabbing the paperwork he’d been invested in earlier, as well as a nearby pen. From the corner of his eye, Sephiroth shook his head ‘no’. A defeated sigh left him and he sat back down, covering his eyes. 

“Right. Of course, he doesn’t. No worries, you can still sleep with him, not that I care.” He slammed the paperwork down on the coffee table and worked his ring off, tossing it on the table as well. He flipped through the loose pages until he found the signature page and scribbled his name in frustration, just barely legible. He handed the pen over to Sephiroth’s unexpecting hands. 

“Sign the paperwork and I’ll leave you to your loverboy,” Cloud demanded, though his voice was the unsafe calm that the elder had come to know. He had no choice, Cloud would leave either way. Begrudgingly, he leaned over to where the paperwork sat and scribbled his signature. He tossed the pen aside and worked his ring off the way he had done time and time again. 

“Cloud, before you go-” Sephiroth began, But he had already gathered the papers in his hands and put his shoes on, as well as a heavy winter jacket and scarf.

“No, no, don’t worry about it. Merry Christmas, Sephiroth. Tell him I said hello.” Sephiroth watched as Cloud grabbed his ring and shoved it back in his hands, then walked out of the house he’d once called home. He sighed and leaned back against the couch, staring up at the textured ceiling. The silence was deafening.


End file.
